The Joys of Unemployment, part the third
I've now been on the dole for twelve weeks (three months). My commitment to finding work is therefore being questioned, and I'm going to have to prove to the known universe that yes, I actually do want a job, and yes, I am trying to find one.

Sorry, I'm feeling just a little paranoid at the moment - a side effect of being pulled in for an interview with my Job Network Provider to organise an Activity Agreement. Yay. So I'm taking along a copy of my resume, and a copy of the template I use to write cover letters (saves me one hell of a lot of typing if I just put the standard blurb into a template and copy and paste it into the appropriate spots). I may also talk to the nice people at the Job Network about things like applying for Disability Support Pension (and whether it's worth my while to try for it, given the depression seems to be steadily intensifying every year I have it).

I have to admit, they're hardly going to great lengths to make it easy to arrange these things. My appointment is this morning at 11am. If I had to cancel, or if I had special needs such as accessibility issues (wheelchair, walking assists, etc) or intepreters/translators, I'd have to contact them. According to their letter I needed to do so at least 24 hours beforehand (which for me would have been Friday morning, 11am). I got the letter in Friday's mail - and admittedly, I don't watch the mailbox like a hawk and run out to intercept the postie, so I didn't actually open it until about 6pm that night. Fortunately I'd found out about the whole thing from Centrelink the day before - the message pops up on their system as well, and I'd had to hand in my fortnightly form last Thursday.

Ah well, I'm dressed semi-nicely (good top, good shoes, good jeans, newest of the bras had come to the top of the pile) and I've done my hair and things (heck, I might even go so far as to put on some makeup, thus being at my middle-class best) so I'll hopefully pass as "showing willing". If they grumble about the jeans, I'm going to point out that quite frankly, unless they have an employer wanting to speak with me sitting right there in the office (unlikely) I don't see the point in stressing out my few "work quality" pairs of pants by wearing them to these sorts of interviews, and the consequent washings and dryings. Particularly when I don't have the money to replace them at present, and won't have unless I get a job.